John e



(No Model.)

J. E. LEAVITT;

TROUSBRS.

No. 518,369. Patented' Apr. 17, 1894.

WITNE'- [FI- 2 INVENTEIR mwwz. MM. zm W' UNITED STATES PATENT Clarion.,

JOHN E. LEAVITT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES L. WESSON, OF SAME PLAOE.

TROUSERS.

. PEIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 51 I8,369, dated April 1.7, 1894.

Application filerl October 7, 1 8 93.

To all witam/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. LEAVITT, residing in Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvementin Trousers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in trousers, and has for its object to provide a novel construction, as will be described, whereby the trousers may be firmly secured to the Wearer without the use of belts or of the ordinary back strap,such as now commonly found on trousers.

In accordance with this invention, the trousers are provided with one or more preferably V-shaped elastic gores fitted' into a' suitable opening cut in the trousers of substantially the-Shape of the gore, and firmly stitched or otherwise secured to the trousers.

The elastic gore referred to, will preferably be eomposed of two parts, alower part which is inserted into an opening in the leg portion of the trousers and an upper part attached to the lower part and inserted in an opening in the waist portion of the trousers and stitched or otherwise firmly secured to the said waist portion or band vof the trousers to form practically a part thereof.

The elastic gore referred to, when the trousers are first used, causes the upper portion of the trousers to hug the body of the wearer around the waist, but after the trousers have been worn some little time, the elasticity of the gore is more or less destroyed, and its holding effect upon the body ofthe wearer is weakened. To compensate for the give or wear in elasticity of the gore, I have provided an elastic strap attached to the clastic waist portion of the gore so that the slackof the gore may be taken up, and when taken up, the elastic strap will cause the upper portion of the gore to cling to the body of the wearer, and yet, by -reason of its elasticity, will permit the gore to respond to changes in position of the body of the wearer. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 represents in side elevation a sufi'icient portion of a pair of trousers embodying Serial No. 487.417. (Nomodel.)

this invention to enable it to be understood, the elastic strap being shown closed or in a position it would occupy when taking up the o slack in the waist portion of the gore, and Fig. 2, a similar view to Fig. l showing the elastic buckle as opened and not in use.

The trousers a are and may be of any usual or suitable construction, such as now com'- monly worn and are herein represented as provided with a substantially V-shaped opening made in the leg portion a' of the trousers and in the waist portion or band az. The substantially V-shaped opening referred to, has fitted into it an elastic gore preferably made as herein shown, it consisting of a substantially V-shaped lower portion b and a substantially4 oblong shaped upper portion b', herein represented as of a difierent structure or material from the lower portionb, but .which is preferabl y firmly attached to the said lower portion as by stitching biand practically forms the base of the elastic portion b.

The portions b b'of the elastio gore are firmly secured to the edges of the opening in the trousers as by stitches 53.

The elastic gore referred to, is made of suitable size and elasticity to cause the upper portion and especially the waist portion 0,2 of the trousers to fit snugly upon and cling to the waist of the wearer, especially the hips, and by reason of its elasticity, permit the body to be bent forward or backwardwthout exerting 'strain 'upon the front or rear portions of the trousers.

When the elastic goreis ,subjected to frequent strain, as would occur by a continual bending of the body in either direction, the upper or base portion b' of the gore soon loses its elasticity, thereby enlarging the waist porvtion of the trousers, and causing the wearer much inconvenience. In order to take up the slack thus occasioned in the waist-band of the trousers, without straining the front or rear of the trousers, I have provided the said elastic gore With an adj ustable elastic strap c, having one end secured to the waist portion b' of the elastic gore, and being adapted to be connected to the elastic waist portion b' at or near its opposite end. In the presentinstance, the elastic strap c is represented (see Fig. 2)

as secured to the elastic waist portionb' by rows of stitching d dX forming a pocket in which is located one portion or member of a buckle, which is herein shown as composed of two links or eyes cl' d2 extended through a metal sleeve da, the latter being affixed to the elastic waist vportion b', as represented, by the elastic strap c, the said metal sleeve being represented as located between the rows of stitcliing cZd. The elastic band or strap c engages a co-operating member C14 of the buckle, which member is shown as a link attached to the elastic portion b' of the gore near the end opposite to that to which the elastic strap is secured, the said link being represented as attached to the elastic portion b' by a loop d5 of cloth or it may be of elastic material, which is firmly secured to the elastic portion b' by rows stitchin g d. In the normal position of the elastic strap, its end may be passed through the link d4 as represented in Fig. 2 and be left free or extended therefrom or the end of the said elastic strap, after passing through the link C14, may be passed under the link d' and through the link e12, after which it may be passed down. under the link d' to firmly clamp the elastic strap o, when the free end of the strap is drawn into the position shownin Fig. 1. The elastic strap c may be loosened by turning the link (12 from the position shown in Fig. 1 back into the position shown in Fig. 2.

When the trousers aare first worn, the elastic gore will cause the waist portion of the trousers to fit snugly the waist of the Wearer, thereby enabling the wearer to dispense with the ordinary suspenders and belt-s, and the elastic gore will retain its normal elasticity until the trousers have been worn some little time.

i While the elastic gore retains its normal elasticity, the elastic band or strap c may be loose, but when the elastic gore and especially the upper orwaist portion b' becomes extended or slack, or in other words, loses its elasticity and thereby its usefulness which occurs when the trousers have been used for some length of time, the elastic strap c,after being placed in the position shownin Fig. 1, may be drawn upon to take up the slack in the elastic portion b' of the gore, and thereby again 'cause the trousers to fit snugly the waist of the wearer, the elastic strap being firmly held from becoming loose until positively acted upon by the wearer, by the link C12.

When the elastic strap has been adjusted to take up the give or loss in elasticity of the elastic gore and to thereby cause the waist portion of the trousers to again properly fit the waist of the wearer, as described, the normal elasticity of the gore is practically restored by reason of the faet that the adjust- 6o able strap is elastic, and as a result the tron' sers fit the body snugly and retain their property of yielding to the motions of the body even after the elastic gore has become useless, and the body of the wearer may be bent in either direction without inconvenience and without exerting strain upon the parts of the trousers, as .the original elasticity of the portion b' of the gore is compensated for by the elasticity of the strap c.

I have herein described the upper portion b' of the elastic gore as attached to the lower substantially V-shaped portion b by rows of stitching bfibut it is evident that the upper portion and the lower portion may 'be cut out of a single piece of webbing as for instance by a suitable die or it may be with shears.

1. A pair of trousers having an elastic gore secured in the waistband and body portion thereof, said gore having an adj ustable elastic strapsecured at its ends to one of the faces of the said gore, substantially as described.

2. An elastic gore for trousers and the like consisting of a. substantially V-shaped piece of elastic fabric having an adjustable elastic strap secured at its ends to one of the faces of the base of the gore, substantially as described.

In testimony Whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN E. LEAVITT.

Witnesses:

J As. I-I. CHUROHILL, J. MURrHY. 

